USS Launcher (LSM-446)

Evidence

13 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-13).

1. [1]research packet 579-packet.md (1 sources cited) [nhhc_danfs]

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   Identity packet verdict: VERIFIED. — real identity: USS Launcher** (name bestowed 1 June 1957). Verified hull: **LSM-446**.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Evidence ID

   uss-launcher-lsm446-pkt-579-packet-md

2. [2]DANFS, 'Launcher' (LSM-446/YV-2) - NHHC ship history page [nhhc_danfs]

   Locator

   DANFS Launcher entry - namesake paragraph, stat line, and full service narrative; verified live via Firecrawl 2026-10-01

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   Official Navy service narrative (DANFS, 'Launcher' entry): LSM-446 laid down by Dravo Corp., Wilmington, Del., 16 March 1945; launched 28 April 1945, sponsored by Mrs. Maryann Abucewicz; commissioned 26 May 1945, Lt. Comdr. Harry E. Harman III in command. After Chesapeake Bay shakedown she joined the Landing Craft Training Flotilla in July for duty with the Atlantic Fleet Operational Development Force, based at Norfolk, operating in Chesapeake Bay and along the Virginia coast for the remainder of 1945. January 1947 transferred to Little Creek, Va.; during June and July underwent conversion to a radar test and evaluation ship. Served four years as E-LSM-446 out of Norfolk on research and development operations for the Naval Research Laboratory - cruising the Atlantic off Virginia, ranging the east coast Quonset Point R.I. to Mayport Fla., and in the Gulf of Mexico off the Texas coast January-February 1949. Arrived Green Cove Springs, Fla., 26 October 1951; decommissioned 20 December 1951 into the Atlantic Reserve Fleet. Reclassified a drone aircraft catapult control craft August 1954; YV-2 recommissioned 20 October 1954 at Norfolk, Lt. Richard Weidemeyer in command; launched her first drone aircraft during shakedown two days later. Assigned Commander, Air Force, U.S. Atlantic Fleet; departed Little Creek 20 January 1955 for the Caribbean, reached San Juan P.R. 25 January, spent two months launching drones for fleet antiaircraft gunnery exercises, returned 26 March. Five more Caribbean deployments 1956-1960 (Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands, Cuba waters) supporting air defense training. Named Launcher 1 June 1957. Returned to Little Creek 24 February 1960; decommissioned at Norfolk 3 May 1960; sold at Norfolk to Portsmouth Salvage Co. Inc., 4 November 1960. Stat line: dp. 520; l. 203'6"; b. 34'6"; dr. 8'4"; s. 12.5 k.; cpl. 106; a. 2 40mm., 8 20mm.; cl. LSM-1. Namesake: 'One who fires, discharges, or hurls with force a weapon or sets into motion or operation a self-propelled missile.'

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-10-01

   Study period

   1945-1960

   Population

   Dravo Wilmington construction trades (1945); USN crew (1945-1960 incl. reserve-fleet and conversion periods); Naval Research Laboratory personnel embarked for R&D operations (1947-51); drone-operations crews and fleet gunnery units supported (1954-60); Portsmouth Salvage Co. scrapping workers (1960-61)

   Limitations

   Primary official Navy narrative for this hull. Conflicts with NavSource on the commissioning date (26 vs 25 May 1945 - carried in gaps) and on the wartime theater assignment: DANFS narrates Atlantic-only operations for the remainder of 1945, while NavSource/NavalCoverMuseum list an Asiatic-Pacific flotilla assignment and the Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal (unresolved - gaps). DANFS cpl. 106 vs NavSource's 5 officers + 54 enlisted (gaps). Contains no asbestos or material content.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-launcher-lsm446-01

3. [3]NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive, USS Launcher (YV-2) ex E-LSM-446 ex LSM-446 (10/14/14446.htm); history extract credited to LSM-LSMR Amphibious Forces Vol. II (Turner Publishing, 1997) [other_primary]

   Locator

   NavSource 14446.htm header/designation block, history narrative, specification block, awards ribbon display, commanding-officer table, photo captions

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   NavSource Amphibious Photo Archive page for this hull: designation chain USS Launcher (YV-2), ex-USS E-LSM-446 (1947-1954), ex-USS LSM-446 (1945-1947); ribbon display American Campaign Medal, Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal, WWII Victory Medal, National Defense Service Medal. Timeline: laid down 16 March 1945 at Dravo Corp., Wilmington DE; launched 28 April 1945; commissioned USS LSM-446 '25 May 1945, LCDR. Harry E. Harman III in command'; 'During World War II USS LSM-446 was assigned to the Asiatic-Pacific Theater: LSM Flotilla Eleven; LSM Group Thirty-One; LSM Division Sixty-One'; converted to a Radar Test and Evaluation Ship January 1947; redesignated USS E-LSM-446 July 1947; decommissioned 20 December 1951 at Green Cove Springs FL, laid up Atlantic Reserve Fleet Florida Group; reclassified Drone Aircraft Catapult Control Ship August 1954; recommissioned USS YV-2 20 October 1954; named USS Launcher (YV-2) 1 June 1957; decommissioned 3 May 1960; struck date unknown; sold for scrapping 4 November 1960 to Portsmouth Salvage Co., Portsmouth VA. Spec block: 520 t light / 743 t landing / 1,095 t full; 203'6" x 34'6"; 13.2 kts; 5 officers + 54 enlisted; armament one twin 40mm + four single 20mm; capacity 5 medium or 3 heavy tanks, or 6 LVTs, or 9 DUKWs; endurance 4,900 mi @ 12 kts; 2 x GM 16-278A diesels direct drive 1,440 BHP each @ 720 rpm, twin screws 2,800 shp. Commanding-officer table: LT G. Hollis Ottaway USNR (25 May-Nov 1945), LCDR Harry E. Harman III USNR (Nov 1945-Mar 1946), LCDR Fred H. Callies USNR (Mar 1946-Jan 1947), LT Christopher C. Petroff USN (Jan 1947-?), decommissioning span '20 October 1951 - 20 May 1954', LT Clarence Raymond Derrickson USNR (1955-22 Nov 1957), LT/LCDR Henry Herman Schleuning Jr. USN (22 Nov 1957-16 Jul 1959), LT Anthony Carmine Scalese Jr. USN (USNA 1952) (16 Jul 1959-3 May 1960). Photos: launch at Dravo Wilmington 28 April 1945; moored E-LSM-446; USS Launcher (YV-2) underway (US Navy photos).

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-10-01

   Study period

   1945-1960

   Population

   Dravo Wilmington construction trades (1945); USN crews of LSM-446/E-LSM-446/YV-2 (1945-1960)

   Limitations

   NavSource is a volunteer secondary compilation, not a primary registry - the history extract is credited to Turner Publishing's LSM-LSMR Amphibious Forces Vol. II (1997), a unit-veteran compilation. Internal conflicts: commissioning '25 May 1945, LCDR Harman in command' vs the CO table listing LT Ottaway first (25 May-Nov 1945) then Harman; CO table decommissioning span '20 October 1951 - 20 May 1954' vs narrative decommissioning 20 December 1951 and recommissioning 20 October 1954; commissioning 25 May vs DANFS 26 May. The Asiatic-Pacific assignment and ribbon conflict with DANFS's Atlantic-only 1945 narrative (gaps). Page verified live 2026-10-01 via Firecrawl (navsource.net - the .org domain is dead). No asbestos content.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-launcher-lsm446-02

4. [4]NavalCoverMuseum wiki page LAUNCHER YV 2 - name/designation history, awards, sponsor, postmark holdings [museum_official]

   Locator

   NavalCoverMuseum LAUNCHER YV 2 - Ship Name and Designation History table, Postmarks section ('The ship had no postal facilities'), Other Information (awards, namesake, sponsor); verified live via Firecrawl 2026-10-01

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   Independent designation chronology corroboration: keel laid 16 March 1945, launched 28 April 1945; USS LSM-446 commissioned 26 May 1945 (matching DANFS, not NavSource's 25 May); 'LSM-446 was converted to a Radar Test and Evaluation Ship in January 1947'; USS E-LSM-446 redesignated July 1947, decommissioned 20 December 1951; reclassified Drone Aircraft Catapult Control Ship (YV) August 1954; USS YV-2 recommissioned 20 October 1954; USS LAUNCHER YV-2 named 1 June 1957, decommissioned 3 May 1960; struck date unknown; sold for scrapping 4 November 1960. Awards: American Campaign Medal, Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal, World War II Victory Medal, National Defense Service Medal. Sponsor Mrs. Maryann Abucewicz. The ship had no postal facilities.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-10-01

   Study period

   1945-1960

   Limitations

   Hobbyist philatelic archive, not a Navy registry - used to corroborate the designation timeline and awards. Agrees with DANFS on the 26 May 1945 commissioning (vs NavSource's 25 May) but repeats NavSource's 'converted ... January 1947' wording where DANFS says January 1947 was the Little Creek transfer and the conversion ran June-July 1947 (variant logged in gaps). Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal listing repeats the unresolved theater-assignment question (gaps). No asbestos content.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-launcher-lsm446-03

5. [5]National Archives catalog - RG 24, Logbooks of U.S. Navy Ships and Stations 1941-1992 (NAID 594258): Launcher (YV-2) monthly deck-log file units, digitized (VBA Blue Water Navy Deck Log Project) [other_primary]

   Locator

   catalog.archives.gov file units 216883464 (Sep 1957), 181934889 (Jun 1958), 181935321 (Dec 1958), 181935955 (Sep 1959) - IIIF-served page images; verified live via Firecrawl 2026-10-01

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   Digitized deck logs for this hull exist in NARA RG 24 series 'Logbooks of U.S. Navy Ships and Stations, 1941-1992' (NAID 594258), produced under the Veterans Benefits Administration / Blue Water Navy Deck Log Project: monthly file units located include 'Launcher (YV-2) - September 1957' (NAID 216883464), 'June 1958' (NAID 181934889), 'December 1958' (NAID 181935321, 68 scanned images), and 'September 1959' (NAID 181935955). These are the ship's own official daily records for the drone-catapult-control period.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   archival_lead

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-10-01

   Study period

   1957-1959 (digitized units located); WWII-era coverage unverified

   Population

   YV-2/Launcher crew (1957-1959 coverage located)

   Limitations

   Existence and digitization verified at file-unit level; page contents were not surveyed line-by-line - deck logs are operational records (positions, events, personnel) and are unlikely to carry insulation/material data, but are the primary source for any crew-level or underway-event question. LSM-446-era logs (1945-51) were not located as digitized file units in catalog results; the Special Lists 43-44 index volume (M248 roll 40, NAID 178406296) - the NARA index of extant Navy logbooks - is the catalog's only 'LSM 446' logbook match, implying hull coverage in the extant-logs index, but the index page was not read to confirm the listed span.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-launcher-lsm446-04

6. [6]The Maryland Magazine, vol. 29, January-February 1958 - S. F. Singer, University of Maryland Upper Atmosphere Group shipboard rocket-experiment account (Internet Archive scan, collection item marymag29univ) [other_primary]

   Locator

   Jan-Feb 1958 issue, 'EDITORS NOTE' + Singer article (djvu text: 'U.S.S. Launcher YV-2 a converted LSM under commanding officer Lt. C. R. Derrickson'); verified live 2026-10-01

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   Contemporaneous first-person account of this ship's sounding-rocket operations: The Maryland Magazine, vol. 29, January-February 1958 issue (University of Maryland) carries an account by Prof. S. F. Singer, Department of Physics, of 'high altitude rocket experiments conducted by the University of Maryland, Upper Atmosphere Group, aboard the U.S.S. Launcher off the Virginia Capes.' Per the account: the first Terrapin rocket was fired 29 October (1957); two additional Terrapins and three Orioles were fired November 4-5; firings were coordinated by the Commander of Destroyer Squadron 6, Commodore G. G. Palmer, and the officers and men of his flagship U.S.S. Cone, which ran interference for the firing area, but 'were conducted from our launching ship appropriately named the U.S.S. Launcher YV-2 a converted LSM under commanding officer Lt. C. R. Derrickson and his officers and men'; optical ground stations were set up along the Virginia coast at Wallops Island and near Cape Charles; Terrapins carried artificial-meteor, nitric-oxide, and sodium payloads to over 400,000 ft; the new-captain Lt. H. H. Schleuning Jr. was aboard and concurred with proposed follow-on launchings near Guantanamo Bay in January-February (1958) while the ship operated with Operation Springboard.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-10-01

   Study period

   October-November 1957 (firings); article January-February 1958

   Population

   YV-2 crew; University of Maryland Upper Atmosphere Group scientists embarked; Republic Aviation Terrapin project engineer; USS Cone / DesRon 6 supporting ships

   Limitations

   University alumni-magazine reproduction of a first-person account by the program scientist - contemporaneous and ship-specific, but a periodical, not a Navy record. Corroborates the YV-2 mission and independently confirms NavSource's CO table (Derrickson through ~Nov 1957, Schleuning relieving). Does not state the follow-on Guantanamo firings actually occurred. No asbestos or material content.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-launcher-lsm446-05

7. [7]National Park Service, 'Wilmington, Delaware' - American World War II Heritage Cities article [nps]

   Locator

   Article body, 'American World War II Heritage City' section; photo caption 'Landing Ship, Tank (LST) under construction at the Dravo Shipyard in Wilmington, DE during WWII'; verified live via Firecrawl 2026-10-01

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   Builder-city documentation: the National Park Service's American World War II Heritage City article for Wilmington, Delaware records that 'the Dravo Corporation was awarded Navy contracts and the Wilmington shipyards received orders for destroyer escorts and landing ships, including the distinctive "Wilmington type" Landing Ship Medium,' and that 'over 14,100 Wilmington workers in two shipyards, along with large numbers of subcontractors,' contributed to wartime production.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   context_only

   Accessed

   2026-10-01

   Study period

   1941-1945 wartime

   Population

   Wilmington shipyard workforce - ~14,100 workers across two yards plus subcontractors (NPS figure)

   Limitations

   Builder-yard/city context only: documents that Dravo's Wilmington yard built the 'Wilmington type' LSMs (the design of this hull) under Navy contract with a large wartime workforce; does not name this hull and contains no asbestos, material, or hazard information.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-launcher-lsm446-06

8. [8]U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Work and Wage Experience Studies Report No. 4, 'Wartime Shipbuilding Workers of Wilmington Delaware' (June 1946) - NARA RG 257, NAID 231769081, digitized PDF [other_primary]

   Locator

   NARA catalog file unit NAID 231769081; digitized PDF BLS_CWS_1946_4.pdf - foreword, summary, 'Wilmington in Wartime' sections (PDF text extracted locally via pdftotext)

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   Federal study of this hull's builder workforce: Bureau of Labor Statistics 'Work and Wage Experience Studies, Report No. 4 - Wartime Shipbuilding Workers of Wilmington Delaware' (June 1946, LS 46-3072) surveyed a representative panel of 166 workers drawn from the April 1945 payroll of a single Wilmington shipyard then employing 4,700 wage earners, with peak wartime employment of ~9,600 in 1943 and only ~200 remaining by January 1946; the yard's wage earners were covered by an Industrial Union of Marine and Shipbuilding Workers of America (CIO) closed-shop agreement. The report documents the wartime occupational structure, earnings, and postwar cutback of Wilmington's shipbuilding workforce - the labor pool that built this hull in March-May 1945.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   context_only

   Accessed

   2026-10-01

   Study period

   1941-1946

   Population

   Wilmington shipyard workers (166-worker representative panel; yard payroll 4,700 in April 1945)

   Limitations

   Builder-workforce context only: the report studies 'a single shipyard in Wilmington' without naming Dravo in located text - Wilmington had two wartime yards (Dravo and Pusey & Jones), so the surveyed yard cannot be asserted as the builder of this hull without further verification, though Dravo is the yard associated with the 'Wilmington type' LSM per NPS. Contains no asbestos, hazard, or materials content - it is a wage/labor study. Documents workforce scale and occupational mix, not conditions aboard or on the ways for this hull.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-launcher-lsm446-07

9. [9]Era inference built on: NavSource/DANFS specification data (all-diesel GM 16-278A plant, this hull); Corn & Starr 1987 WWII-shipbuilding asbestos documentation (ev-uss-launcher-lsm446-09); GAO HRD-80-2 Navy asbestos-era program documentation (ev-uss-launcher-lsm446-10) [other_primary]

   Locator

   NavSource specification block (ev-uss-launcher-lsm446-02); synthesis of ev-09 and ev-10 era documentation

   Finding type

   asbestos_application

   Finding

   An LSM-1-class diesel landing ship built March-May 1945 at Dravo Corporation, Wilmington DE sits inside the Navy's documented asbestos-use era. Era-standard applications aboard a small diesel-driven amphibious auxiliary of this type and period were machinery and exhaust thermal insulation/lagging, gaskets, valve packing, electrical insulation, and winch/windlass brake linings in a compact hull volume. She had an all-diesel plant - the boiler/steam-line lagging pathway of steam vessels does not apply - and her 1947 radar-conversion and 1954 drone-conversion yard periods fall inside the same documented asbestos-use era, with shipyard conversion work a recognized disturbance pathway.

   Verification

   inferred

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   class_or_era

   Accessed

   2026-10-01

   Study period

   1945-1961

   Population

   Dravo Wilmington construction trades (1945); USN crew 1945-1960; yard trades at undocumented conversion yards (1947, 1954); Portsmouth Salvage scrapping workers (1960-61)

   Limitations

   Class/era inference only - no hull-specific insulation survey, material list, outfitting specification, or conversion work package located for LSM-446. Names era-standard applications, not confirmed installed materials. No quantity, no manufacturer attribution for this hull, no present-day presence claim (hull scrapped 1960-61).

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-launcher-lsm446-08

10. [10]Corn, Jacqueline Karnell, and Jennifer Starr, 'Historical perspective on asbestos: Policies and protective measures in World War II shipbuilding,' American Journal of Industrial Medicine 11(3):359-373 (1987) [other_primary]

    Locator

    AJIM 11(3):359-373, abstract and article; DOI verified live 2026-10-01 via Firecrawl (resolves to Wiley Online Library page)

    Finding type

    asbestos_application

    Finding

    Peer-reviewed historical study documents that asbestos was used extensively as a fireproofing and insulating material in U.S. shipbuilding during WWII - the era and program under which this LSM-1-class hull was mass-produced at Dravo Wilmington in 1945 - and that wartime demand drove unprecedented asbestos utilization in ship construction.

    Verification

    verified

    Role

    context

    Documentation level

    class_or_era

    Accessed

    2026-10-01

    Study period

    1940s era documented; article 1987

    Population

    WWII shipyard workers and ship crews (class context)

    Limitations

    Program/era-level scholarly documentation of asbestos use in WWII shipbuilding generally; does not name this vessel or this yard and does not establish that asbestos was aboard this hull, nor quantity, location, condition, exposure, or causation.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-launcher-lsm446-09

11. [11]GAO, Navy Efforts To Protect Workers From Asbestos Exposure, HRD-80-2 (Oct 18, 1979; publicly released Oct 22, 1979) [gao]

    Locator

    GAO product page HRD-80-2, Highlights section; product page verified live via Firecrawl 2026-10-01 (full-report PDF returns HTTP 403 to automated fetch - standing gao.gov access defect)

    Finding type

    gov_survey

    Finding

    GAO reviewed the Navy's efforts to protect workers from asbestos exposure (fieldwork at the Long Beach and Norfolk Naval Shipyards), covering 'the use of asbestos in Navy ships, the cost of removing asbestos from Navy ships, and compensation programs for asbestos-related disabilities.' Per the report highlights, the Navy's 1975 policy was to remove and replace with nonasbestos materials only insulation that was damaged or had to be removed to accomplish necessary repairs, modified in 1979 to selectively replace asbestos insulation in high-maintenance areas - establishing that asbestos insulation was in service aboard Navy ships of this hull's era and remained a managed material into the late 1970s.

    Verification

    verified

    Role

    context

    Documentation level

    class_or_era

    Accessed

    2026-10-01

    Study period

    1975-1979 policy window; 1945-1960 hull era covered by the documented use period

    Population

    Navy shipyard workers; asbestos program review

    Limitations

    Program-level documentation; fieldwork yards were Long Beach and Norfolk Naval Shipyards - Norfolk was this hull's home operating area (Norfolk/Little Creek) but the report does not document conditions aboard or work on this hull. Supports era context only, not any fact specific to this hull. Does not establish presence, exposure, or causation.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-launcher-lsm446-10

12. [12]DANFS, 'Targeteer' (LSM(R)-508/YV-3) entry - NHHC ship history page (program context); batch sibling records uss-catapult-lsm445 and uss-gunnison-river-lsmr508 [nhhc_danfs]

    Locator

    DANFS Targeteer entry, YV-3 service narrative; verified live via Firecrawl 2026-10-01

    Finding type

    vessel_history

    Finding

    Sister-ship program context: three LSM-type hulls were converted to drone aircraft catapult control ships - YV-1 Catapult (ex-LSM-445, built at the same Dravo Wilmington yard four days before this hull), this hull as YV-2 Launcher, and YV-3 Targeteer (ex-LSM(R)-508/Gunnison River). DANFS's Targeteer entry describes the same mission on the Pacific side - launching and recovering radio-controlled drone aircraft and surface drone targets for fleet training ('the world's smallest aircraft carrier'). Catapult and Launcher were both named on 1 June 1957.

    Verification

    verified

    Role

    context

    Documentation level

    class_or_era

    Accessed

    2026-10-01

    Study period

    1954-1968 (YV program window)

    Population

    class/program context - no hull-specific population

    Limitations

    Program context only - describes the sister YV hulls' shared mission, not this hull's individual record beyond the conversion-program framing already in the Launcher DANFS entry. No asbestos or material content.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-launcher-lsm446-11

13. [13]Batch-6257 search ledger (this record): NHHC DANFS; NavSource; NavalCoverMuseum; NARA catalog (digitized YV-2 deck logs; BLS Wilmington shipbuilding study; Special Lists index); NPS; MARAD ShipHistory; NVR; CourtListener API v4 (authenticated); HyperWar; Wikipedia; uboat.net; secondary web sweep [other_primary]

    Locator

    search_ledger rows sl-uss-launcher-lsm446-01 through sl-uss-launcher-lsm446-18

    Finding type

    historical_record

    Finding

    No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or litigation naming USS Launcher / LSM-446 / E-LSM-446 / YV-2 was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). CourtListener (authenticated API v4, HTTP 200): opinion index returned 9 hits for unquoted 'LSM-446' - all name collisions (postal-union, debt-collection, tax, and state matters; no vessel mention in any hit); exact-phrase opinion searches '"LSM 446"', '"USS LSM-446"', '"USS LSM 446"', '"E-LSM-446"', and '"USS Launcher"' each returned count 0; '"YV-2"' returned 1 hit (Butler v. Greenwood, 180 Va. 456, 1943 - predates the designation; OCR/citation collision). Docket index: quoted '"LSM-446"' returned count 0 / document_count 0; unquoted 'LSM-446' returned 623 tokenization-noise hits (sampled page: LSM Technologies Pty Ltd, part number PE-35-446, judge initials - none naming the vessel). One probe query ('"Launcher" asbestos ship') could not be completed - fleet pacing block at session end; logged as blocked, not a negative result. NHHC DANFS covers this hull; NVR excludes pre-1987 disposals; MARAD carries no record; no law-firm/listicle asbestos page specific to this hull surfaced in the web sweep.

    Verification

    verified

    Role

    negative_finding

    Documentation level

    ship_specific

    Accessed

    2026-10-01

    Study period

    2026-10-01

    Limitations

    Absence of a located public record does not prove absence of asbestos aboard - a 1945 Navy-yard-era amphibious hull with two documented conversions is era-consistent with asbestos-containing materials. The hull survives nowhere (scrapped 1960-61), so no museum survey or modern hazmat disclosure can be expected; remaining leads are archival (digitized YV-2 deck logs unsurveyed at page level; WWII-era deck logs on film per the Special Lists index; Bureau of Ships conversion work packages not located). Does not establish presence or absence; does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility. One CourtListener probe remained pace-blocked at session end.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-launcher-lsm446-12